presidential predictions for the year ahead. what's still to be done before christmas, and will negative polls on the president's trustworthiness put coal in his stocking? record rainfall in many parts of the u.s., this following a weekend of coast-to-coast storms. to america's infrastructure problems. bridges closed because there's no money to fix them. and worse, those not closed but n desperate need of repair. below 24,000 after a dismal week on wall street. cnbc's steve sedgwick will tell us what's ahead. and the latest on "snl" cast member pete davidson after a weekend scare over his well-being. "early today" starts right now. good monday morning.

i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm marlie hall in for frances rivera. some new insights this morning into what americans think about president trump and the mueller investigation. new numbers from an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll reveals a majority of americans now believe president trump is not telling the truth when it comes to the russia investigation, and six in ten americans say president donald trump has been untruthful about that topic. this report comes after new developments into the russia probe, including michael cohen's sentencing. nbc's tracie potts joins us now from washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: hi, marlie, good morning. we heard from the president's attorney over the weekend making it clear, number one, that president trump will not be doing an interview in this michael cohen can forget getting a pardon from president trump after flipping working with the rn and now going to prison, saying that he broke all kinds of laws on behalf of the president, not to mention campaign finance violations that

the president and his attorney insist were not illegal. >> it's not a crime! it's not a crime, george. paying $130,000 to stormy, whatever, and paying $100,000 to the other one is not a crime. the edwards case determines that. >> reporter: he's referring to former presidential candidate john edwards, who had a similar case. but here, president trump, through his attorney, paid $130,000 to one woman, $150,000 to another, to keep them from talking about alleged affairs that he denies. also, president trump over the weekend striking back on twitter, calling cohen a rat and calling the russia investigation a dmarl? >> strong words there, tracie. thank you. both the east and west coast saw extreme weather this weekend. millions along tatlantic are recovering from days of record

rainfall while strong winds cleared many of their beaches. dan shchenamen has details. >> reporter: the mid-atlantic is saturated, rain-flooded roads in virginia and maryland, but some drivers refused to heed warnings. first responders in fairfax county, virginia, had to make several water rescues, while in montgomery county, maryland, cars were stuck in floodwaters and firefighters brought six people to safety. also in maryland, a different type of rescue, a llama was let out of a flooded pasture and to higher ground. while the mid-atlantic is soaked, there is high surf in the pacific. the maverick surf contest near half moon bay, california, was delayed because the waves are too big and conditions too dangerous. authorities are warning people to stay away from the shoreline. >> avoid the area altogether because the waves could hit to the sea wall. and if anyone is even stepping foot on the sand, these waves could creep up onto their chest, take them into the pacific ocea contest organizers hope surfers will be riding the

waves later this week. dan schenamen, nbc news. in texas, the family of a 7-year-old guatemalan girl who died in the custody of u.s. border agents is now disputing what officials have said about her death. border patrol officials said she hadn't had food or water for days. her family, seen here in guatemala, says that isn't true and that the girl appeared to be in good health as she traveled through mexico with her father. on cbs' "face the nation," white house senior adviser stephen miller was asked who bears responsibility for her death. >> it's time that both parties had the appropriate level of outrage over the fact that these organizations continue to take advantage -- >> wasn't adequatelyd t they? >> one of the great tragedies that is going on in our country today is the loopholes in our immigration laws and the deficiencies in immigration laws, and left-wing activist judicial rulings that incentivize the most vulnerable populations to come to our country. >> meanwhile, as the country

struggles with an aging infrastructure, you've probably come across a road, a bridge, or a tunnel in desperate need of repair. well, they know that problem all too well in mississippi, where hundreds of bridges are so unsafe, they've actually been closed. nbc's kerry sanders looks at the impact. >> it sounds ridiculous. >> reporter: stephanie park was there when her friend's son passed away, the family waiting painful hours for the coroner to arrive. >> i can't think of anything much worse than having one of my children lying dead and nobody can goat me. >> reporter: the delay, because the bridge was too dangerous to cross. in mississippi, nearly 500 bridges are in such disrepair, they're cl. >> is definitely a i'd say closer to a crisis. >> reporter: state, county, and local governments all lack the finances to fix the dilapidated bridges. it costs $1,300 alone to put up closed bridge signs and up to $10,000 per federal inspection. some of the neglected bridges here in mississippi were built when harry s. truman was

president. that was 68 years ago. now, because these bridges are closed, what was just a two-minute trip can now take more than 40 minutes getting from point "a" to point "b." >> we've got a problem with the bridge. >> reporter: washington county supervisor jerry redmond says when a resident had a heart attack, paramedics couldn't reach him quickly. they thought they were on the fastest route, until the ambulance hit a closed bridge. >> really, it was about an hour before it got there, and the man had died then. >> reporter: a risky reality for mississippi residents, anxiously waiting for repairs and answers. kerry sanders, nbc news, holmes county, mississippi. now to a b the united state north korea, with north korea threatening to shatter any deal at denuclearization, if the u.s. continued its sanctions against the country. the increasing tension comes months after president trump sat down with north korean leader

kim jong-un in singapore where the two leaders committed to denuclearization, even though no specifics were offered. nbc's ali aruzie has more from london. ali, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a stark warning from north korea, that the path to denuclearization on the korean peninsula could be brought forever. the regime deeply unhappy about new u.s. treasury sanctions on three senior figures within the ruling elite over alleged human rights abuses, and these threats and warnings come only six months after kim jong-un held historic talks with president trump. however, those talks have made little progress beyond the vaguely worded statement in june, and that's why this new round of sanctions shouldn't come asrprise. the u.s. has always said it will keep maintaining pressure on north korea until results are produced, and north korea's reaction shouldn't be a surprise. they've issued a statement saying that the state department was bent on bringing dprk/u.s.

relations back to the status of last year, which is marked by exchanges of fire, clear reference to north korean ballistic missile launches and nuclear test, not to mention angry verbal exchanges between the countries' two leaders. now, even though the north says that the pressure is a grave mistake by the u.s., there was some praise for the u.s. president, saying that donald trump has shown willingness to improve relations between the two countries. back to you, marlie. >> ali arouzi, thank you so much. let's talk some football! week 15 in the nfl. let's begin with "football night in america." to the los angeles coliseum, where the rams were huge favorites over the eagles. todd gurley up the middle for the early touchdown. the eagles would respond. this is backup quarterback nick foles handing off to josh adams for the score. the game would be tied at 13 at the half. the second half, the eagles pulled away. the rams did have one last shot, but they needed that completion, did not get it. the

to pittsburgh, wheree s to watch ben roethlisberger throw for two touchdowns as the steel curtain stopped tom brady not once but twice in the fourth quarter in the red zone. the steelers also stopped their three-game losing streak and win 17-10. now to chicago, where a banged-up mitchell trubisky passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the bears to their first nfc north division title since 2010. the packers' aaron rodgers could not find the end zone. this pick here would seal the deal. final from soldier field, 24-17. back-and-forth affair in santa clara. seattle was fighting for a playoff spot. they just needed a win, but the niners' richie james had other ideas. 97 yards for the kickoff return. russell wilson would come battling back. look at this pass-and-catch here. ooh, that is doug baldwin for the touchdown. game tied at 23. robbie gould, though, the kicker for the niners, this guy is so

clutch and he did it again. the niners stun the seahawks in here with a look at our travel weather. what can we expect? >> i know. we showed you the pictures earlier in the show of all the stormy weather in the west, and it continues today. we're watching some light rain heading for los angeles. still raining pretty good around fresno, back up towards sacramento. we're getting a little bit of a break on i-5, but you can already see the bright white clouds. that's the next storm in line. we have numerous storms in the pacific that will be affecting the region. number one is this morning that is coming through. there's number two off the coast. that will be late tonight into tomorrow for areas, specific the pacific northwest. and then as we go evenurpacific that's up near the allusions and the storm just coming off of a weekend. so, significant storms are linen will be in the mountainous areas where we could see additional river flooding as they continue to run high. as much as 10 inches rain

moving through early this morning in central california. that will clear out during the day. and as a lot of people get ready to travel for the big holidays, we're going to see a storm on the east coast, too. i'll tell you how that will affect the airports this week. >> all right, bill. we'll check back in. thank you. fans of the movie "a christmas story" can now recreate some of their favorite scenes, like this one. >> this is a lamp! >> it was indeed a lamp. >> isn't that great? what a great lamp. >> now, that house in cleveland is up for rent. it even comes with the leg lamp. the home's interior has been restored to resemble the christmas classic. reservations arely always next year. they'll open up again. you can shoot your eye out for about $395 a night. >> got to have that leg lamp.

otherwise, how do you know it's that house? >> yeah. just ahead, we will have the latest on "snl's" peter davidson after police were sent to his home, worried about his well-being. they should be playing outside ...not hurting inside. thanks to you, st. jude children's research hospital is changing how the world treats and defeats childhood cancer. we freely share our science to help find cures and save kids with cancer everywhere. and no family pays st. jude for anything... because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. visit stjude.org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo. eucerin as been solving for over 100 years discover eucerin advanced repair it moisturizes dry,

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i can breathe again! ahhhh! i can breathe again! ughh! vicks sinex. breathe on. leading the news, police here in new york were called in to check on "saturday night live" star pete davidson saturday after a troubling instagram post where he wrote, "i'm doing my best to stay here for you, but actually, you don't know how much longer i can last." davidson, who has been open about his struggles with mental health, made only a very brief appearance on "snl" this more. ♪ >> it's "saturday night live"! >> reporter: on the last "saturday night live" of 2018, viewers tuned in to see if cast member pete davidson would come to work. >> once again, mark miley cyrus. >> reporter: he didn't address a preshow scare. earlier saturday, the comedian started a post on instagram with, "i really don't want to be on this earth anymore."

when he then deleted his account, fans and friends began to worry. machine gun kelly wrote "i'm in the plane now on the way to see pete. gonna make sure he's good." jada pinkett smith tweeted, "i'm praying for you, pete." the comedian put a spotlight on his struggles before on "snl." >> as some of you may know, i was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a form of depression. >> reporter: but this time, the dark message came with a welfare check by new york police. it's unclear what prompted his alarming post, but earlier, he sided with kanye west and supported him for standing up for mental health, an issue twitter exchange between west and ariana grande. grande eventually tweeted, then deleted a number of posts, including one that read so sorry," wanting everybody to be happy and healthy. there's history between grande and davidson. just two months ago, they were engaged. their relationship became part

of his act. >> god forbid we split up and she takes half my sneakers. >> reporter: and inspired her number one hit. ♪ despite their brief romance, she shared her support for him on social media, a reminder that he doesn't have to battle this personal fight behind the curtains. kathy park, nbc news, los angeles. >> if you or anyone you know is in crisis, you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-talk. could wall street stage a santa claus rally this week? and is now the best time to shop for a new car? cnbc's steve sedgwick has the details next. you're watching "early today." a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast, it takes only one week to reveal younger looking

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and merry christmas to youuuuu! wwaaaaa! oh hello happy hol... eh, ehhh! wait, so, hillary is president? >> that's right. in this reality, all she had to do to win was visit wisconsin once. >> donald, so nice to see you. how are you? >> melania, what happened to your accent? >> oh, i lost it after we got divorced. they said being around you all the time was hurting my language skills. >> thank god i was never your vice president. i'd just be sitting in meetings with you and pelosi and schumer just staring out into space imagining this. >> wow. so, everyone is better off without me being president. >> of it, on

friday, managing to stay just above the 24,000 mark, but will investors possibly see a santa claus rally on the horizon? let's go ask cnbc's steve sedgwick. hey, steve. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, phillip, good morning, marlie. there is no santa claus rally at the moment. it's like the grinch has already stolen christmas. 2% lower for the dow, the s&p down 9%. for the year, the major indices are down between 2.5% and 2.8% as well. banks really badly hit. is it going to get better this week? well, maybe. we've got a big event on wednesday. we think the federal reserve may hike rates, but look out for the phrase dovish hike, i.e., will the rhetoric around the hike in rates, if we get one, be softer than previous communications from the federal reserve? elsewhere, great time, though, for consumers if you're looking for a new car. automobile sales have been really hit. in 2016, there were 17.6 million cars sold annually. in 2018, it's seen as low as

16.8, so that means there are a lot of really good deals, not only on the older motors, but also on more popular brands and models, such as suvs. also, have a look at cars going ex-lease as well. experts say that is where you'll find the best bargains this holiday season. back to you. >> get them before the end of the year to get that tax break, too. all right, steve. thank you. just ahead, meghan markle reportedly puts the kibosh on a longtime royal tradition. plus, sir paul mccartney is just getting warmed up for his big u.s. tour. we've got a preview next. ♪ ♪ the beautiful thing about care, is knowing that it's always there... ...and that it always will be. ♪ walgreens. trusted since 1901. right now save 25% on your purchase at walgreens.

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♪ it's been a hard day's night sir paul mccartney playing to a packed arena in london last night on the third stop of his freshen up tour. the 76-year-old former beatle played some of his classic hits like what we're hearing now, "hard day's night." mccartney will play a total of 12 u.s. stadiums starting in may in new orleans. and he's going to end in july in los angeles, dodger stadium. >> you have to see it if you haven't seen it before, right? >> that's right. >> got to get it while you can. okay, let's get into the travel week forecast. rain coming in later today in areas of the pacific northwest. we're pretty clear throughout much of the country. as we devcontinue through the w, we have a storm in the midwest and then a big storm heads into the east. anybody with any plans especially friday, major airport delays, especially in the northeast. we'll be right back. once i started looking for car insurance, it was a no-brainer. i switched to geico and saved hundreds. that's a win. but it's not the only reason i switched.

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in today's top stories, the "washington post" has obtained a draft of a new report prepared for the senate that shows the extent of russia's interference in our 2016 presidential election. the report studied millions of social media posts provided by technology firms and found that russia used every major social media platform to elect mr. trump. on facebook alone, the russian campaign reached 126 million people, and on instagram, another 20 million. the report not reviewed by nbc news also revealing that all of moscow's messaging was intended to benefit the republican party, specifically donald trump. just last year, facebook, google and twitter revealed that they had identified russian meddling on their sites. the senate plans to release this report later on this week. as the threat of terrorism persists, the french city of

strasbourg will not forget the victims of the deadly christmas market attack. gathering sunday in af grief and remembrance. a fifth person has now been confirmed dead after the gunman, 29-year-old cherif chekatt, opened fire last tuesday evening on the crowded streets. a dozen others were injured. chekatt is now deceased, and this morning a new development. the father of the gunman says his son was an isis supporter, as the nation struggles to cope with this horrific form of evil. we want to warn you, this video here from kirkwood, missouri, a chipotle there, may be a little hard to watch. becky fock is the manager on the left. she wants people to see the moment that an employee grabbed her and slammed her into the counter. police say the woman was arrested and charged with assault. fock claims this was a symptom of what she calls a hostile work environment, and when she complained, she learned she was fired. chipotle said her departure was not related to that event you see. well, after a maryland third

grader lost a class election, she got a letter from a woman who has been there. martha kennedy morales lost her class president election to a boy by just one vote. when hillary clinton heard, she wrote the 8-year-old a letter. martha's dad frequently posted about his daughter's campaign on facebook, and it caught the attention of someone close to clinton. in her heartwarming letter, clinton speaks from experience, congratulating martha for running and saying, the most important thing is that you fought for what you believed in, and that is always worth it. >> and stay off facebook and don't listen to anything they say there. that may help, right? all right, now to the united kingdom, where the royal couples revealed their christmas cotosar kensington palace m,ate middleton and their three kids. the first christmas card from prince harry and meghan markle shows a new look at their private wedding celebrations. animal lover meghan markle has reportedly asked harry not to take part in a boxing day hunt william. royal watchers fear this will

worsen tensions between the two brothers. >> well, he's married now. att to do wh

president trump predicts an incredible year ahead for our nation. but right now his credibility is being called to the carpet. in a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll. a weekend scare for "snl" cast member pete davidson's well-being after he tweeted that he didn't want to be on this earth anymor we'll have the latest. then car shoppers beware. can you spot the car that was rescued from a flood only to be a ticking time bomb of corrosion? a double win day for one bears player who also got the answer he was and sir paul mccas out big-time ahead of his major u.s. ay"tarts right now. good morning. i'm marlie hall in for frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip